March Equinox 2025

The March Equinox usually occurs between March 20 and 21 each year, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north. This marks a special time when sunlight is nearly evenly distributed between the two hemispheres, making day and night nearly 12 hours long everywhere.

On this day, the Sun shines directly over the equator, allowing both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to receive nearly equal amounts of sunlight. However, in reality, the day is slightly longer than the night due to atmospheric refraction and how sunrise and sunset are defined (measured from the edge of the solar disk).

This marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Interestingly, on the exact day of the March Equinox, the Sun rises exactly in the East and sets exactly in the West — a rare alignment that helps observers determine cardinal directions using natural cues.